Motivation to do anything is not the same for everyone. For the lucky some, it comes easy. For most others, we need a little push once in a while. Runners get their motivation to run, train, do non-running workouts, stretch and drink water from many various places. There is one thing that gets every runner motivated and out the door every time. Getting new running shoes is that thing.

This weekend was filled with two snow storms and a completely bonkers schedule for me. It could have been very easy for me to completely ignore and skip all my running. Luckily, I just got the Under Armour Horizon RTT Trail Shoes. This is my first pair of trail running shoes and a busy schedule and 12” of snow was not going to stop me from taking these bad boys out for a spin.

This is not my full review, more of initial thoughts. The dirt trails in Minnesota are obviously covered in snow right now and most of them are not accessible. Instead of that I ran on the extremely snowy paved trails and a lake near my place.

Here are three of my initial thoughts:

They are really light: in my experience trail running shoes tend to be on the heavier side. The UA Horizon shoes are not much heavier than my Brooks PureCadence 5.

Flexibility gets a thumbs up: the top of the shoes has a good amount of flexibility for your foot to have some responsive comfort.

Stability in the sole of the shoe: the bottom of the shoe is stable, provides a good level of stiffness, and the traction allowed me to run through the snow without issues.

The UA Horizon RTT shoes held up really well in the snow, both on the paved trail and the lake. Stay tuned as I carry this motivation to run, and the fact that I am starting my training cycle for the Get In Gear Half Marathon, into more trail/snow based runs.

Do you run on dirt trails during a paved race training cycle? Let me know in the comments!